Forever Forward

This week I discovered that due to some radical upgrade at my current web-server the Angels of the Road .com site is “static” I will never be able to edit or add to those pages again. I won’t remove the site; at least not until the domain name expires next August… then it will depend on the kind of traffic it still has.  Good news is I will be able to continue posting on the blog-site, for those of you following my Report of Findings, the last few segments will publish here. I will never stop working with the homeless or caring about social justice so I suspect this blog will continue for a long time to come. In January I am moving to Victoria B.C. where I will find work, settle down and someday soon start a centre for spiritual healing. I don't know how any of this will come about, no friends, no job (I know where I will work just have to convince them they want me),  no place to stay ...sometimes all you have is faith ;-) and this time has to be enough.   

Angels of the Road was not only a physical experience but a profoundly spiritual on as well. I have come to understand that we are first and forever spiritual beings and that our fleshly existence is a vehicle for each soul to experience, interact and grow our spirit.  

The past two years while living in Ontario I have been on a quest to grow my own awareness and understanding of higher orders of consciousness… not sure I am expressing this well. There are many methods by which we can increase control over our physical (health, wealth, relationships) existence and increase our understanding of (and access to) our spiritual (love, wisdom, peace, joy) existence. As I wandered through the maze of gurus, coaches, teachers, prophets and practitioners gleaning what information I could; I noticed something… as with so much in our world money was an issue. Think of this market place of seekers like a Costco…. some sellers tell you about their cookies and ask you to buy some (probably at some allegedly deeply discounted price) others will give a eighth of a cookie hoping the taste will entice you to buy some. The best of these people give you a whole cookie of your very own. It is business like any other business.

Don’t get me wrong I do not begrudge people making money…especially spiritual people and life coaches. At the very least they are adding something of true value into the world. Teaching people how to be better people have better lives, experience more peace, love and joy; ultimately as each person’s life becomes better the people in their life become better for it…So keep up the good work.

But as usual I believe in equality for all people regardless of means. The tools and knowledge for a better, more spiritual existence should be available to everyone…so in a few weeks I’ll be launching a new website to share everything I learned (or will learn) during my own spiritual journey.

Watch for it, Spirit of the 8^th Fire ! Have a joyous day my friends.

  

 

 The

so disappointed

Since I leapt to Lance Armstrong’s defense a couple of blogs ago, I should probably comment on the recent unfolding of events.

Yes, I am disappointed in Lance Armstrong …I am disappointed in Lance’s parents…I am disappointed in all the other doped up athletes (ball players, cyclists, olympians) and their parents… I am disappointed in the doctors and coaches who aided in these elaborate deceits and I am disappointed in their parents. I am disappointed in a system and a culture that believes a medal is more important  than one’s personal honour.  I am disappointed in all the people out there who are only disappointed in Lance for getting caught, and I am disappointed in their parents.

Usually I can blame Disney for many of the psycho-social ills of today's society; but this one I have to assign to Vince Lombardi, “Winning  isn’t  everything… it’s the only thing”. This is wrong on sooo many levels.

Why am I disappointed in the parents? It is up to the parents to teach children live with honour. It is up to parents to teach their children to take pride in doing their best (win or lose). Someone once said, "it isn't whether you win or lose that matters... it is how you play the game!".

Easy rule of thumb for those just getting started on the "high road" (living honourably) is that if you have to hide what you are doing...don't do it.  Never do or say anything you can't own with pride and you will live without guilt or regret and your children will follow your example.

Have a joyous day my friends.

 

 

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. Lincoln

This submission was made in response to a blurb published in a local newspsper by a person who was outraged to see so many people in the local soup kitchen texting on their cell phones. I share it here with you my dear readers knowing this not a lecture you need to hear. ;-)
Have a joyous day
Bonny

Dear Editor
           On Saturday September 29^th the Chronicle- Journal carried a Thumbs Down comment regarding soup kitchens and cell phones… to this person and everyone who read it and thought “HERE, HERE!” God gives each of you a big Thumbs Down… He wanted to use it to squeeze the ignorance out of your stupid heads, but I convinced him to wait on that and try education first.

            My name is Bonny L. Cameron and I am the foremost expert on homelessness in Canada. Let me begin by saying cell phones are no longer a luxury or an add-on, millions of Canadians (including myself) choose cell phones over landlines, also unlimited plans run between $25 and $40 per month.

           That said now for the sad reality; 50% of people using Canada’s shelters &/or soup kitchens are there simply because they are poor. Marginally employed and marginally housed these folks move often, a cell phone is often the only consistency in a turbulent struggle just to get by. It keeps them connected with family, friends, social workers, doctors, teachers, babysitters, employers, potential employers, potential landlords…again a cell phone is a necessity, NOT a luxury.   

          Another 20% of homeless are what I call medicals, people who struggle with disability (visible or hidden), living on a fixed income, in and out of hospitals, moving often and in need of  consistent contact information for family, friends and service providers to reach them.

         The last 30% are street people (your stereotypical homeless) addicts, drunks, and people struggling with undiagnosed mental illness or concurrent disorders. If any of these guys have a cell phone I celebrate “WooHoo”…. That’s 40 bucks that did not go to buying crack this month.

          If you witnessed this atrocity you must have been at that soup kitchen… if you are eating there you also have too much month at the end of your money. Perhaps you should change your priorities, move from your apartment into a cheap rooming house or give up your (landline) phone or television service so you can afford food. You don’t want people judging you …do not presume judge others. The world will be a better place when we all practice the Golden Rule.

          On the other hand perhaps you volunteer or work for that organization… if this is the case “Leave at once and never look back”!  Go out and save a baby whale for Jesus…. Your kind… does more harm than good working with the poor and disenfranchised.  Your sanctimonious, judgmental attitude just causes more hurt to people already suffering.  Re-read Matthew 25:40… and don’t wait until you are standing at the Pearly-Gates before you figure out how you are going to explain your behaviour.

For anyone who cares enough to want to know the truth about homelessness in Canada you can visit my website www.Angels-Of-The-Road.com

Bonny L. Cameron

 

Strong Arming Armstrong

Love yourself…first and best. Honour truth. Never look for validation from others. Seneca said, “A thing can be presumed bad when the common sort applaud”. O.K. you are probably wondering what brought on today’s rant. In a word Lance Armstrong (ok that’s 2 words lol). Most of you have heard the story by now. Mr. Armstrong won 7 Tour de France cycling races, passed thousands of drug tests and is still being accused of doping and threatened with censure. Yesterday Lance finally said, “enough of this shit I’m done”. To me it is about time… as long as he knows the truth, screw the committee.  The chairman went on the news and said Lance’s decision to not fight the charges (after years of fighting them) is proof of guilt. To me that is just proof of good sense… a wise man once said, “Don’t get in the mud and wrestle with pigs…you’ll both get dirty and the pig will like it.”  My argument is simply this…someone had to win those races…and unless the 2^nd 3^rd and 4^th place winners were on performance  enhancing drugs why wouldn’t a slightly better athlete beat them to the finish line. This incident, as with the SteveFonyo vs. the Order of Canada  just proves that you should never look to others for validation. Do your best in any given moment, enjoy your victories, forgive your mistakes and learn from both. Life is about the journey … live, laugh and love. Treat yourself with the same kindness and respect you show others. Have a joyous day.

Just a Little Update

Yes, it has been 6 weeks since my last post… in my defense I have posted 2 more sections to the Research Findings page of the website. I want to say welcome back to Drakakis, after almost a year away the LowLives Blog is posting once again. Hope life is treating you well.

Now, for my rant “de jour”.  On the news this past week it said that India (you heard right) is planning to have a launch to MARS in 2013… What is this sudden obsession with Mars?  Haven’t we done enough damage on this plant?… Now we want to spread that around the rest of the milky-way. Jeeezzz people... does anyone besides me think this is messed up.

I was complaining a few blogs ago that people (governments) should clean up the problems in their own countries before sending resources and/or criticism out to other countries; but now I have to say that even taking a one world “global economy” view…let’s at least keep our mess on our own frickin planet.   Maybe someday when we have repaired the damage we have done here, it will be time to spread ourselves into the rest of the galaxy.

For those of you not up to date on my plans, I will take this time to share. The Angels of the Road journey is over and I have been publishing my findings on the website…. There are still a few entries to come but all should be there by the end of September. My job as a nanny ended in July… and I am looking to get back into the shelter industry (addiction, recovery, rehab, reintegration, etc). I am especially interested in working with urban Native populations struggling with addiction and recidivism (in and out of corrections). So if anyone knows of a position…. feel free to give me a heads-up. Thanks.

It was always my intention to publish an account of my life (two years) living homeless in Canada, but I am going to be putting that off for a while. First, I am going to write a handbook for human services professionals about how we can best serve this client population. I am calling it… OUT REACHING: A Streetwise Guide to Social Work.  The 100ish page manual will be a staple for the industry… student and professional alike will find the information very enlightening. I have started looking for a literary agent and expect to have the book ready by year end.

I don’t do these personal updates too often so it is hard to know what is of interest to all-ya-all. The Blepharospasm treatments work well and I’m hoping I’ll be able to get another one done soon. The treatments last 3-4 months but are quite expensive ($400) by my standards LOL. Other than that, I am enjoying good health and just have a couple of appointments to wrap things up before I leave Hamilton. The time I spent on the road took a toll on my health, as it does with anyone who is in that environment of more than a few weeks. But with the help of  Dr Walser-Jebb and a program of supplements, I am as healthy as anyone else ;-)

The cost of health care to homeless people is in addition to the $100 per day per person this country spends on shelter services (sleep, food, monitoring, laundry, counseling etc, etc, etc). This is why housing first programs make so very much sense from a taxpayer/budget perspective. With a comprehensive program to create affordable home ownership and supportive housing we could reduce homelessness by 70%... saving 50% of the $1.4 million dollars we spend daily; a whopping $255,000,000 per year. Go Habitat for Humanity ....yeh!

That is my 600+ words for today I’ll be adding more on the research findings soon. Have a joyous day my friends.

Conspiratorial Ranting

I have always had a problem with conspiracy theories. In part I guess because the person alleging to be the victim of a conspiracy is usually labouring under an exaggerated sense of his or her own importance. Big corporations (insert conglomerate of choice here) is not worried about what one person (or 1,000) might be saying about them, unless those people happen to be shareholders. Great stuff for movie plots... but people are not blocking your computer signals, reading your mail or cutting your brake line. Big business/Governments operate under a “stick & stones policy”, unless you have hard evidence, you are no threat. As the court of public opinion starts to sway, so adapts the corporation into whatever is the new acceptable norm; the auto industry is one shining example.
That is not to imply that the activists of this world (I include myself) are impotent in their efforts. We should continue to rail against injustice and greed, doing so sheds a little light of knowledge into the world and with awareness comes eventual change. For example when one person decides to protest animal cruelty by eating only happy meats, she will naturally share what she has learned with those around her. This prompts her mother to pay 2x as much for chicken breasts because only a painfully deformed chicken could have produced the breasts that were on sale. So get informed do not blindly follow media (social or otherwise) become a seeker of truth, then share the truth with anyone who will listen. Keep your mind open to opposing views, they may have a perspective you had not yet considered; or at least provide you with insight as to where they are coming from. Always keep your EYES on the PRIZE… by that I simply mean focus on the result you want. Worry less about being right or getting recognition, instead of angrily demanding someone STOP “whatever”….work on a collaboration to get things done. Our egos may like to cling to an us against them mentality…  the reality is that approach does NOT bring results.  Instead of rallies and expensive advertizing and petitioning government to “Ban the Seal Hunt” it would be more effective to put your resources into establishing economic alternative for Newfoundland & Labrador. If your group wants  to end the use of leg-hold traps… then it is for you to purchase cruelty free traps and swap them out with trappers; whom you have taken the time to educate regarding the proposed option. The second problem I have with conspiracy theories, is that it endows the alleged perpetrator with intelligence and organizational skills far beyond what I am willing to give them credit for. Most of these things come about by way of ignorance and apathy, usually rooted in GREED. A Native gentleman (about my age) was telling us how the white men (Indian Affairs) delivered rations to the reservations when he was a boy. The processed flour and sugars and other contents were designed to make the Indians sick with diabetes, heart disease etc. In truth these were the foods that we grew up on and the idiots at Indian Affairs simply did not know it would be harmful to the Natives. The Americans air lifted tons of pork to a barricaded city during a civil war several years ago… not bothering to find out that the population they were trying to help was Muslim. My thought was “Dumb Asses” but a conspiracy theorist would have said the US was allied with the other side and was trying to force them to give-up their immortal souls or die.
So my friends … we are all stuck on this rock together, it is for each us to live in the world as we want it to be NOT as it is. Take responsibility and be the change you want to see in the world. We must teach others with our example as well as our words. Treat everyone with kindness and respect; we are all just doing the best we can in any given moment. So my activist friends, step out of the shadow of fear... Speak freely, speak loudly but always speak the truth.   

Report of Findings Around Skills Development & Education:

Here is another slightly boring (unless you happen to be a stakeholder in the shelter industry) entry in my report of findings. But we must do our chores before we can do the fun stuff LOL. Next project will be a very insightful & entertaining handbook for people who are working (or will be working) with the homeless and street people. So only a few more segments of the Findings... then I'll prep it for distribution, by the end of July, I should be writing and ranting again like my old self.  Have a joyous day.

Skills Development& Education:

Observations:  As I explained in demographic about 50% of shelter residents are homeless due to poverty issues. Many are between jobs or are employed in low income service industry positions. This situation, in combination with a personal crisis can easily cause one to be displaced from their home.  These are, our transitional clients and the best candidates for skills training and upgrading. The DI (Calgary Drop-In) is the only shelter I have found offering all levels of these services in house. Most shelters work in conjunction with other agencies and programs.  Given the wide variety of needs it is understandable that most client care providers do not offer job skills training.  
         Drop-In centres are often good sources for basic needs in the area of job search. Many have literacy programs run by volunteers; given that 20% of Canadians are functionally illiterate this should be seen as an essential service. Also tutoring is offered in resume writing and job search, these are usually managed by an employment counselor working for the centre. Most cities have some kind of “Dress for Success” program which provides free wardrobe options for interview situations or re-entering the workplace. Some even offer self awareness programs, personality testing and such to help clients who (through illness, injury or just economic shift) are forced to rethink their life plan including employment options. Much can and is being done for clients wanting to re-enter the workforce. Some shelters which designate themselves as “transitional” have these programs mandatory for clients.
         Many able-bodied homeless and street people choose to work day labour, earning between $40 - $80 for 6 -12 hour shifts. Some of these agencies are reputable and honest, matching workers with companies for a reasonable percentage of the hourly wage. They screen employers and employees so that all parties are satisfied with the result. Unfortunately this industry is rife with exploitation… agency taking as much as 50% of the hourly wage while providing little or no assurance to the workers. The good agencies have a regular base of workers so it is difficult for a new face to catch-out. This is a good option for street people because it provides ready cash, when you are feeling up to it… without any ongoing commitment to an employer. The DI and the Bissell Centre in Alberta both run a day labour office on site in the mornings, this a real benefit to clients and can result in ongoing employment if the fit is right.

Conclusions:  I guess my conclusion is we are doing what we can. Unfortunately shelters which designate as transitional also house people who are nowhere near ready to move forward with their lives. Their failure to comply will result in conflict with staff and having them barred or boycotting the one safe shelter a city may have. Acquiring a forklift ticket (or any other accreditation) does not insure a person will use it. As the environment erodes a person’s self esteem, it also erodes their sense of purpose and direction.

Recommendations:  Well first it would be great if every shelter/drop-in ran its own day labour program.  If I haven’t said it before… separate the client populations.  For this particular matter the benefits would be better concentration of services and staff.  Clients could be assessed and served based on their individual needs. I would also recommend that every client care worker be knowledgeable about the services, training and education options offered through other agencies and the various levels of government, within their communities.